Peach reaps top award

Give Greg Peach credit for doing things up in a big way – even when it comes to winning one of college football’s biggest awards.

Peach, a senior defensive end for Eastern Washington University and the school’s all-time sacks leader, capped a brilliant career Thursday evening by capturing the Buck Buchanan Award given annually to the nation’s top defensive player in the NCAA’s Football Championship Subdivision.

The 6-foot-2, 250-pounder out of Evergreen High School in Vancouver, Wash., outdistanced his closest rival in the Buchanan voting by the biggest margin in the 13-year history of the award, earning 39 first-place votes and 313 points to finish 107 ahead of runner-up Jovan Belcher, a defensive end from Maine.

“You never expect this kind of a thing, so winning it was awesome,” said Peach, who was honored during an awards ceremony in Chattanooga, Tenn., on the eve of today’s NCAA Division I Football Championship title game between Montana and Richmond. “But to me, this is more of a defensive line award for me and the guys I played next to, especially the last couple of years.

“Without those guys, I wouldn’t be here getting this award, so it’s really an accomplishment for our entire defensive line.”

Peach, who was one of three senior starters this fall on what many considered to be the best defensive front in EWU history, closed his college career by leading the FCS with 18 sacks – an average of 1.64 per game – and 22.5 tackles for losses. He recorded six games of more than one sack during the 2008 season, including a four-sack effort in the Eagles’ loss to Montana, and finished his career with 35.5 sacks, three short of the Big Sky Conference record held by Idaho State’s Jared Allen, the 2003 Buchanan Award winner and current NFL standout.

“I’m repeating myself, but everything that has come his way, he’s earned,” first-year EWU head coach Beau Baldwin said of Peach, after attending the ceremony. “I was fortunate enough to be a part of recruiting Greg, and he weighed 205 pounds when he got here. He wondered if he would be able to fit in here, but even with that humbleness, he had an inner confidence that took here where he is now.”

Peach, who was earlier named the Big Sky’s most valuable defensive player, is the first EWU player to win the Buchanan Award – a fact that did not escape him.

“All of the coaches told me what a great honor it is, and that it had never happened to anyone from our school,” Peach said. “I’m extremely honored about that, too, because when I first came (to Eastern), I wasn’t expecting myself to be the one to do it.

“I’m really proud I got to be the person to do that first for Eastern. I think it’s really cool for the whole program.”

Peach’s parents, who attended the ceremony, plan to return home on Saturday, following today’s FCS title game, but Peach and Baldwin are scheduled to travel to Nashville, Tenn., where they will be guests of former EWU offensive lineman and current Tennessee Titans Pro-Bowl tackle Michael Roos during Sunday’s NFL matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“Michael got us tickets to the game, so this whole week has kind of been just one big celebration,” Peach said.

Also honored at the ceremony, Appalachian State quarterback Armanti Edwards won the Walter Payton Award and James Madison coach Mickey Matthews received the Eddie Robinson Award.